Human Rights Paralegal Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Description:

The Human Resources Compliance Paralegal is a specialized HR and legal-support professional responsible for helping the organization maintain compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations. This position combines practical human resources knowledge with paralegal-level legal research, documentation, investigation support, policy development, and compliance administration.

The Human Resources Compliance Paralegal partners with HR leadership, management, and outside employment counsel to identify compliance risks, research employment law requirements, maintain legally compliant policies and practices, support employee relations matters, and ensure appropriate documentation is maintained.

The ideal candidate has strong knowledge of employment law and HR practices, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to research and interpret regulatory requirements while recognizing when a matter should be escalated to legal counsel.

Requirements: Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Employment Law & HR Compliance

• Research federal, state, and local employment laws and regulatory requirements affecting company policies and employment practices.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and communicate relevant changes to HR leadership.
• Assist with compliance involving wage and hour laws, employee classifications, meal and rest periods, leave requirements, workplace accommodations, discrimination and harassment prevention, personnel records, and employee notices.
• Review HR policies, procedures, forms, and practices for consistency with applicable employment laws.
• Maintain federal, state, and local employment-law notices and required workplace postings.
• Assist with multi-state employment compliance and identify jurisdiction-specific requirements.
• Develop and maintain compliance calendars, trackers, checklists, and audit documentation.

Policies, Handbooks & Documentation

• Draft and update employee handbook policies, HR procedures, compliance notices, forms, templates, and internal guidance.
• Conduct periodic handbook and policy reviews to identify changes required by new legislation or regulations.
• Maintain organized records of policy revisions, effective dates, approvals, and employee acknowledgments.
• Assist HR leadership in translating legal and regulatory requirements into practical HR procedures.

Employee Relations & Investigations Support

• Assist HR leadership with documentation related to employee complaints, disciplinary matters, workplace investigations, and employee relations issues.
• Organize investigation materials, interview notes, timelines, supporting documentation, and evidence.
• Conduct preliminary legal and regulatory research related to employee relations matters.
• Assist with drafting investigation summaries, findings documentation, corrective-action materials, and related correspondence.
• Maintain confidential investigation and employee relations files.
• Identify matters presenting elevated legal risk and promptly escalate them to HR leadership or legal counsel.

Leaves, Accommodations & Employment Practices

• Support compliance with FMLA, ADA, PWFA, USERRA, state and local leave laws, paid sick leave requirements, and other protected leave programs.
• Assist with accommodation and interactive-process documentation.
• Review employee classification and wage-and-hour practices for potential compliance concerns.
• Support compliance reviews involving exempt/non-exempt classifications and employee versus independent-contractor classifications.

Audits & Regulatory Matters

• Conduct or support internal HR compliance audits, including personnel files, I-9 documentation, wage-and-hour practices, required notices, policies, and employment records.
• Assist with responses to government inquiries, administrative charges, audits, subpoenas, and requests for employment records under the direction of HR leadership or legal counsel.
• Organize documentation for matters involving agencies such as the EEOC, DOL, state civil-rights agencies, labor departments, unemployment agencies, and similar regulatory bodies.
• Track compliance findings and corrective-action plans through resolution.
• Maintain documentation supporting the organization's good-faith compliance efforts.

Legal & Litigation Support

• Conduct legal research using reliable statutory, regulatory, and administrative sources.
• Prepare factual chronologies, document summaries, case files, and supporting materials for employment-related matters.
• Assist with litigation holds, document preservation, discovery coordination, and records collection when directed by counsel.
• Coordinate information and documentation requested by outside employment counsel.
• Maintain attorney-client privileged materials appropriately when working under the direction of counsel.
• Support HR leadership in preparing documentation related to demand letters, administrative claims, and employment disputes.

Job Requirements
Education

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Paralegal Studies, Human Resources, Business Administration, Legal Studies, or a related field preferred.
• Paralegal certificate from an ABA-approved or otherwise recognized paralegal program preferred.
• Equivalent combinations of education and relevant HR/employment-law experience may be considered.

Experience

• 3–5 years of experience in human resources compliance, employment law, labor and employment paralegal work, employee relations, or a related field preferred.
• Experience supporting an employment-law attorney, corporate legal department, HR department, PEO, or HR consulting organization strongly preferred.
• Experience researching and applying federal and state employment laws.
• Multi-state employment compliance experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with California employment law is highly desirable for organizations with California employees.

Required Knowledge

Strong working knowledge of employment-related requirements, including:

• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA)
• Title VII and anti-discrimination requirements
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
• Equal Pay Act
• USERRA
• Wage-and-hour compliance
• Employee classification
• Workplace harassment and discrimination requirements
• Leave and accommodation administration
• Personnel-file and record-retention requirements
• Form I-9 and employment eligibility compliance
• EEOC and Department of Labor processes

Skills & Competencies

• Strong legal and regulatory research skills.
• Excellent written communication and documentation skills.
• Ability to interpret statutes, regulations, agency guidance, and employment policies.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Strong analytical and issue-spotting capabilities.
• Ability to distinguish routine HR compliance matters from issues requiring attorney review.
• Ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive employee information.
• Strong judgment and professional discretion.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines, investigations, audits, and compliance projects simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with HR professionals, executives, managers, employees, and attorneys.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and HRIS/document-management systems.
• Experience with legal research platforms such as Westlaw, LexisNexis, or comparable employment-law resources preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or similar HR certification.
• Paralegal certification.
• California employment-law experience.
• Experience supporting workplace investigations.
• Experience conducting HR compliance audits.
• Experience working within an HR consulting, PEO, healthcare, professional-services, or multi-state employer environment.
• Experience coordinating matters with outside employment counsel and regulatory agencies.